altogether—are experienced in the early years of settlement.

In making this statement it is not suggested that, on soils too salt for immediate cropping, it would pay to clear undulating country and wait for the salts to drift. This it would not. It is only desired to indicate that if the soil is just not salt enough to prohibit profitable cropping at the outset, the position will improve gradually and not grow worse.

The salt character of the Dalyup River (Appendix B) indicates how salt is leached out of the land. A similar result is found in the Mortlock River (Appendix B), e.g., at Meckering.

                                                                                       Water supply and dams.

In addition to three salt rivers and one rain-water tank, samples were taken from six dams filled from catchment areas in the Esperance district. The location and analysis of those waters are given in Appendix B. The small quantity of salt present in the dams is washed from the soil of the catchment, and has no special significance. The salt in each case is sufficiently low, and none of the waters tasted brackish. It is interesting to notice that Water 9, taken at 79 mile from Esperance, held considerably more salt than dams farther south and in a better rainfall. Some such results would probably be expected.

                                                             C.—SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS.

In reviewing the work of this investigation, attention is specially directed to the following points:— 1. Various soluble salts occur in the Esperance district lands, but for practical purposes the important one is common salt.

2. The amount of salt in these lands varies largely in amount from place to place; in some cases there is not enough to do harm, but in others there is.

3. An important action of excessive salt is that it increases the difficulty of crops absorbing water. The result of this is that crops will often look well during the earlier period, while the ground is moist, but go off rapidly in later growth with the advent of dry weather. It is typical, therefore, of crops on salty land that the harvest does not realise the early promise.

4. While exercising this deleterious action, the salt, unless in greatly excessive amounts, is hidden from view and remains unsuspected by the farmer.

5. a large number of fresh analyses have been made for this inquiry by three independent chemists, and I have also been able to make a systematic use of some analysis carried out for a report made in 1912.

6. From a study of those analyses, and subsequent to inspection of the district before last harvest, I have been able to form certain general conclusions.

7. About one-third of the agricultural area in the district does not contain too much salt for settlement; about one-sixth is doubtful, and one-half of the area contains too much salt for profitable farming.

8. The district contains large areas of good country, but on account of salt being present it will usually be found that the lighter loams offer the best prospect of immediate success. Land-seekers should be officially warned about salt and given direction.

9. In view of the undulating nature of the terrain, settlers who are just able to raise profitable crops at present can rely upon their land improving as time goes on. Clearing will accelerate the leaching of salt from the higher lands, but unless profitable crops can be obtained at the outset it will not pay the settler to clear the land.

10. A detailed discussion of the subjects is included in this report.

                                                    JOHN W. PATERSON.

Perth, Western Australia, 15th June, 1917.